Chailly-en-Brie Aerodrome was a temporary
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
airfield in France, used both by French units, and by squadrons of the
Air Service, United States Army
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...
. It was located east of
Chailly-en-Brie, in the
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the ÃŽle-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...
department in the
ÃŽle-de-France
The ÃŽle-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
, approximately to the east of Paris.
Overview
The airfield was a temporary facility built during the
Second Battle of the Marne, likely consisting of no more than a few tents, used by both American and French units until end of August after the Allied counter-offensive liberated the area. It was used by the
I Corps Observation Group
The I Corps Observation Group was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, First United States Army. It was demobilized in France after the 1918 Armistice with Germany ...
as its headquarter, 12–22 August, with its two squadrons,
1st Aero Squadron
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
and
12th Aero Squadron
The 12th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I.
The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical reco ...
, operating from the airfield during the same time. The whole group then flew to
Croix de Metz Aerodrome in Lorraine to prepare for the next push.
For the same reason of the battle front quickly moving towards NE, the French escadrilles stationed at Chailly left before the end of August, and the fields were soon returned to agricultural use.
The airfield was located 1.3 miles of Chailly, between the main road and the hamlet of Couture; no indications of its wartime use remain today.
See also
*
References
* Series "D", Volume 2, Squadron histories,. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
External links
{{authority control
World War I sites of the United States
World War I airfields in France